Her Hands
by EmpressNariko
Summary: Hands: there to hold, to help, to heal—they had certainly played a role in their relationship. [Kaka/Saku] ONE-SHOT My first attempt at fluff between my two favourite characters. Thank you to TheCopyMistress, LindtLuirae and NeonNight who helped me with this oneshot!


Sakura sighed as she walked into the kitchen. She took a moment and glared at the kitchen taps, debating what to do. Even though she was tired, hot and hungry, she felt accomplished at all the work that they had done today. Painting the bedroom, living room and hallways in a single day meant a long day.

They had finally taken the next step in their relationship—they got an apartment together. In the long run, it made sense. They had been spending all of their time together, so one of their places was always empty. It was simply logical to share a home with one another.

Sakura being the type of planner and perfectionist that she was, wanted to paint the entire apartment before they moved their stuff into it. Between hospital shifts and missions, they only had a few days to fit in painting and moving.

He had told her that she could choose all the paint colours since he would be happy with whatever she decided—plus it wasn't like he had the best taste. She had never seen him with any type of style preference. She was sure that she had only ever seen him wearing two or three outfits besides his standard issue uniform.

She looked back down at her paint-covered hands, debating how to get the taps on without getting paint all over the place. The empty apartment had been spotless before they had bought the place, and she didn't want to spread soft green paint to the clean surfaces.

"Do you think that if you stare at them long enough, they'll just magically turn on by themselves?" he said teasingly from where he stood at the edge of the kitchen.

"You know, maybe you could put your smart-ass to work and help me out," she said affectionately. She blew at the bangs that had strayed from her clip and got stuck against her sweaty forehead.

They had an easygoing relationship, laid back and filled with banter. Many people found their relationship difficult to process. They had known that it was a taboo when they had started dating. But that hadn't stop them from falling for each other.

He sidled up to her, reached around her and turned on the taps, then brushed aside the hairs that rested against her face. He gazed into her emerald-green eyes, smiled and then gave her a quick endearing peck over her diamond seal. He paused for a minute, content to just hold her against him and rest his lips against her skin—he was enraptured by the simpleness of the moment.

He placed a finger underneath the stream of water waiting for it to come up to the right temperature. She appreciated the way his body felt behind her, so strong, warm and capable. His fresh woodsy scent—so uniquely him—enveloped her, soothing her so easily.

"Come on, let me help you get that paint off," he said quietly as he gently brought her hands under the water. The water was warm but not too hot.

It surprised her when she saw that his hands didn't have a speck of paint on them.

Sakura huffed. "How did you—"

He laughed, still holding her hands in his larger ones. "Not get any paint on my hands?" he finished for her with a chuckle. "I guess I'm just lucky," he suggested.

"Yeah, I'd say so," she scoffed as she shifted her weight from side to side.

"I know how lucky I am," he said as he nuzzled her head with his own. "I think I'm the luckiest man in Konoha." He placed a gentle kiss on her silky pink strands.

It was moments like these that made her heart swell. No one else got to see him like this—so caring, tender and sweet.

She couldn't help but relax and lean against his strong body as he continued to meticulously wash the paint off of her hands. He reached out, took the bar of soap and rubbed it into a gentle lather. He placed it back on the stand and took her hands once more.

He covered her hands in the suds and started to give her tired muscles a massage while he continued to wash away the day's efforts.

Softhearted incidents like this one had been what had finally shown her—without so many words—how much he cared about her. She knew that big emotional confessions weren't his thing. However, she realized that she didn't need proclamations of undying love from him—his actions were enough.

He had always been there for her whenever she needed it. It started off with simple things: going to the market with her, carrying her groceries, bringing her a bento box when she worked late, watering her plants when she was away from Konoha for any length of time, and a variety of other small but attentive actions.

These little gestures were enough for her to open her mind to the possibility of something deeper between them. Which seemed to have scared her more than him, but he was steadfast in his pursuits. Never relenting in his methods; expressing his feelings for her in his own way.

After one particularly awful mission, unbeknownst to her she ended up hospitalized for a variety of issues, but when she finally came to, he was there. He had been there, holding her hand and falling asleep with his head resting on her hospital bed.

He had looked rougher than she felt—his hair was a mess, even more so than usual. However, the surprising thing was that when she ran a hand through her own hair, she found it tangle free. Looking to the side table, she saw her own brush and a few of her other things resting there.

He had taken care of her so diligently while she recuperated, at the same time, ignoring his own needs. It was a bad habit for him to put the needs of others before his own, but in this instance it warmed her heart.

She sat up in the hospital bed; the bed creaking just enough for the man beside her to begin to wake. He blinked sleepily, his eyes widening slightly as he noticed her. Sakura gave him a soft smile. He stood and moved towards the door, but she reached out to stop him.

"Wait," she called out in a crackled voice. "I'm okay."

Briefly pausing to look at her as she reached for the glass of water with shaky hands, he quickly returned to her side once more, and helped her support the cup she held. He gently moved it to her lips and aided her in taking a sip.

As she swallowed small sips of water, he continued to hold her upright—his arm reassuringly warm on her back. Once she had indicated that she had enough to drink, he placed the glass down on the table.

He was having trouble meeting her eyes. So when she once more cupped his cheek and forced him to look at her, his eyes were filled with strong but mixed emotions—anger, impatience, fear, worry but most of all affection and devotion. And love.

It surprised her to see his charcoal eyes flicker between such intense emotions—and then to end on the most potent of feelings. It filled her up with a warmth and happiness that spread throughout her entire being.

"You scared me."

It was a simple enough statement, one that she had probably said to him countless times when the roles were reversed. But this time, that wasn't the only meaning behind his words.

His calloused but warm hand moved to cup her hand that rested against his unshaven face.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

He sighed and closed his concerned eyes—happy that she would be all right.

She brushed her thumb across his cheek a few times, startling him into opening his eyes. Gently, he took her hand from his cheek and kissed the back of it.

"Don't do that to me again. Please," he pleaded fervidly against the soft skin of her hand. She nodded while he continued to hold her hand to his lips. It was one of their many first precious moments that they had shared.

Once more, his loving attention to her brought her out of her momentary recollections. She waited patiently as he finished washing her hands.

Turning off the water, he reached for the kitchen towel to dry them thoroughly.

Again, he brought her hands to his lips and once more placed gentle kisses on each fingertip.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he asked with a happy sigh.

"I can think of a few things," she said sweetly, turning in his arms.

He pulled her tightly against him and sighed in contentment.

Reaching up, she kissed his masked chin, "I love you, Kakashi."


End file.
